The Union railway ministry has decided to split South Central Railway into two to provide a railway zone for newly bifurcated Andhra Pradesh .But the headquarters will remain in the same old place.
The Centre came to this decision after an expert committee, considered under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, did not favour establishing a new rail zone for Andhra Pradesh. This decision was taken in concern with the 80,000-plus South Central Railway employees working here. As per the reports, the railway minister Suresh Prabhu will announce the decision in the Railway Budget on February 26.
The expert committee did not favour either setting up a new rail zone with headquarters at Visakhapatnam (presently with East Coast Railway) or at Vijayawada (with SCR), and left the decision to the Railway Board.
The two states get share as:SCR Zone 1 to cover Telangana, with Nanded, Secunderabad and Hyderabad divisions.SCR Zone 2, covering Andhra Pradesh, will get Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal divisions.No SCR staff will be shifted due to South Central Railway bifurcation.